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Answered by Nick Rafferty from the British Council in Beijing
Some candidates attempt to establish a rapport with their examiner and showcase “natural” lexis by adopting an informal tone in the speaking test. This can include deploying friendly terms of address (“mate” or “pal”), using informal or slang words that are commonly used by native speakers (“we had a few tinnies with the barbie”), or even introducing swearwords into their answers.
Tone is not considered as part of the marking criteria in the speaking test (although it is relevant in the general writing test), so using an informal register shouldn’t have a negative impact on the score. However, candidates should tread carefully when using informality.
Over-familiarity (“alright buddy?”) may be more irritating than ingratiating to an examiner and is probably best avoided. The same is true of swearwords; although innocuous to some, they still have the potential to cause offense and aren’t appropriate for an examination.
Moreover, informal language and slang is often regionally specific and subject to changing fashions; candidates may be on safer ground sticking to neutral terms that can be understood anywhere that English is spoken, and that have stood the test of time.
And finally, adopting the style of a native speaker risks mimicking the mistakes of native speakers, whether in grammar (“I done it already”) or pronunciation (“I dunno...I just wanna do it”). These could have a negative impact on candidate’s test scores, and for this reason candidates are well-advised to consider using a neutral and relatively formal tone in their speaking test.
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